The invention relates to a method of and means for pre-fabricating building structures. The structures are prepared from a module or modules comprising a floor panel and depending wall panels. The floor panel and wall panels are prefabricated on a tip up and jig system, and assembled into a floor and walls through hinge joinder means. The hinge joinder means may be removed from the pre-fabricated structure once the walls are in the desired position (generally perpendicular to the floor).
Prefabricating building elements, such as a panel structure used as a floor, wall, or overhead structure of a building, or a pre-fabricated room having floors and walls, or walls and overhead structure, is well known in the art. Jigs for constructing such pre-fabricated building panels, are also known. Once such panels are fabricated, typically they must be individually placed in juxtaposition and interconnected with the other panels of the building module, either before or after the panels are in their final position in the structure. In order to accomplish the desired interconnection, the individual panels must be brought into registry and alignment thus requiring each panel to be individually moved and carefully adjusted in position with respect to the other panels. This is tedious and time consuming, and the accuracy of the prefabricated panel construction, as well as the accuracy of the alignment, is critical to the quality of a building.
Systems and methods for building pre-fabricated panels, and assembling them into modules or building structures, are known. U.S. Pat. No. 7,559,147 teaches a portable framing fixture for fabricating wall frames. U.S. Pat. No. 7,086,209 teaches a method of constructing, transporting and erecting buildings using a series of modular footer/leveling pads. U.S. Pat. No. 6,969,054 teaches a receiving stand for a frame stacking system used to stack prefabricated frames. U.S. Pat. No. 6,067,771 teaches a modular building using pre-fabricated component parts. U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,653 teaches a modular, portable framing table apparatus for facilitating the construction of wood frame structures. U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,918 teaches a framing jig for building various configurations of wall sections, roof trusses and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,350 teaches a jig comprising a support frame. U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,171 teaches a jig for assembling a prefabricated building wall or similar structure. U.S. Pat. No. 4,154,436 teaches a fabricating jig for building components such as walls horizontally. U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,640 teaches a table for assembling structural components such as trusses wherein the table can pivot through a range of substantially 180 degrees, so that the table or jig and the work carried thereon can be inverted so that what was once the under surface of the truss becomes the upper surface. U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,744 describes a method of pre-fabrication construction whereby the overhead (roof) and floor panels are prefabricated, attached together using a hinge element, and assembled by lifting the overhead panel. However, this type of construction requires very large and structural hinge joinder means, since the hinge joinder means needs to be able to support the entire wall structure, as the overhead structure is being lifted.
It would be desirable to have a method and system for building floor panels and wall panels and quickly and easily joining them and assembling them into a prefabricated structure.